I have several 10oz Silvertowne bars, and one of them weighs 2.1 grams more than the rest of the bunch. That is a little more than 1/16 of a troy ounce or $0.87 cents at today's spot price ($12.92). I'm not complaining because I bought the bars brand new and nothing looks altered in any way. However, if I ever sold it (not planning on it, at least not at these prices) on the secondary market, do you think there would be a problem with the additional weight, and someone thinking it might have been drilled and filled?

Cup-of-Ruin

27th April 2009, 20:25

I have several 10oz Silvertowne bars, and one of them weighs 2.1 grams more than the rest of the bunch. That is a little more than 1/16 of a troy ounce or $0.87 cents at today's spot price ($12.92). I'm not complaining because I bought the bars brand new and nothing looks altered in any way. However, if I ever sold it (not planning on it, at least not at these prices) on the secondary market, do you think there would be a problem with the additional weight, and someone thinking it might have been drilled and filled?

No I don't think so, it's just bullion after all, someone has to go to alot of effort to counterfiet, in the case of a bar to make it worthwhile the only way a forger could realistically profit is buy using a lead bar and silver plating it. Now the density of lead is 11.34 against silver 10.4, so a simple weighing test would establish the material and then you can just drop it on the table top, lead will make just a dull thud sound and silver will make a sweet ring sound.

It's good just to know your facts and when you go to sell if someone is concerned you can just explain to them how easy it is to pick a fake and show them the test. Counterfeits are so rare that they are quite valuable in their own right, you might even make a more of profit out of a good fake bar, Nah, probably not.:)

AgCarp

27th April 2009, 22:16

No I don't think so, it's just bullion after all, someone has to go to alot of effort to counterfiet, in the case of a bar to make it worthwhile the only way a forger could realistically profit is buy using a lead bar and silver plating it. Now the density of lead is 11.34 against silver 10.4, so a simple weighing test would establish the material and then you can just drop it on the table top, lead will make just a dull thud sound and silver will make a sweet ring sound.

It's good just to know your facts and when you go to sell if someone is concerned you can just explain to them how easy it is to pick a fake and show them the test. Counterfeits are so rare that they are quite valuable in their own right, you might even make a more of profit out of a good fake bar, Nah, probably not.:)

Thanks. I know how to make sure what I have is silver, but I was worried someone else might have a hard time taking my word for it. I guess if no one believes me, it will only be one bar I'm stuck with. Besides, how many people, that know silver, will weigh a 10 ounce bar if it gives a good ring. Even if they did weigh the bar I doubt they will complain about a little extra.

krispy

28th April 2009, 14:24

why not file the old girl down a little until it matches! Then you could drink the filings or rub them on the swine flu

If it is at all like my silvertowne bars, you likely have a huge burr around one edge that drives me crazy and should be removed anyhow

AgCarp

28th April 2009, 17:53

why not file the old girl down a little until it matches! Then you could drink the filings or rub them on the swine flu

If it is at all like my silvertowne bars, you likely have a huge burr around one edge that drives me crazy and should be removed anyhow

Wow, your a genius, or I'm a little slow. After weighing the rest of my 10 ouncer's this evening, I noticed I had three more that were "heavy". One was the same as the first I found, and the other two were about half that. Looks like I'm going to do a little machining. Eventually I'll be able to make an official AgCarp coin.

digger

28th April 2009, 19:44

Wow, your a genius, or I'm a little slow. After weighing the rest of my 10 ouncer's this evening, I noticed I had three more that were "heavy". One was the same as the first I found, and the other two were about half that. Looks like I'm going to do a little machining. Eventually I'll be able to make an official AgCarp coin.

Hope your scales are accurate! You might end up with 10 ozers that are short:o

Argyria

29th April 2009, 10:56

why not file the old girl down a little until it matches! Then you could drink the filings or rub them on the swine flu

If it is at all like my silvertowne bars, you likely have a huge burr around one edge that drives me crazy and should be removed anyhow

I would not consume silver in any form, if I were you. Trace amounts are harmless, but ingestion or inhalation of more significant amounts results in argyria, a condition where the skin turns blue permanently. It is rare, but can certainly happen.

Yabezlas

29th April 2009, 12:13

Would that qualify him as a Smurf?

akak

29th April 2009, 14:43

I would not consume silver in any form, if I were you. Trace amounts are harmless, but ingestion or inhalation of more significant amounts results in argyria, a condition where the skin turns blue permanently. It is rare, but can certainly happen.

I can vouch for this! I used to work in an environmental laboratory with an extensive library, and remember reading about argyria, which was not uncommon among miners and workers in the silver processing industries of the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a condition in which finely divided silver particles become embedded in the body's tissues, whether through direct contact, injection, or more commonly, inhalation. This silver then actually travels throughout the body, dispersing into all the tissues. It causes a permanent bluish-grey pigmentation, and although it is harmless, it cannot be reversed. I read of cases where the entire skin of certain individuals was turned dark blue, and in some cases, even the eyeballs. In extreme cases, the skin and eyes would assume a dark metallic blue cast.

I thought this was all far in the past. However, two years ago at an outdoor market, I saw an elderly man who looked like a CLASSIC case of argyria --- all his exposed skin was dark blue-grey! I ended up talking to him and his daughter, and it turned out that he had been taking huge, overdose quantities of colloidal silver solution for two or three years --- probably 50 or 100 times the recommended amounts, and daily. It had indeed not hurt him at all, but he was bizarre-looking, to say the least! It was a thrill to actually see one of the probably very few cases of real argyria in the world today.

hiyosilver

29th April 2009, 17:40

You guys need to do your research into nanosilver. There is virtually no risk of argyria with it. But make sure you are purchasing true nanosilver.

For the record, I have seen someone with argyria once in Colorado. The real kicker to it was the guy was about 6' 6" or better. Makes you feel kinda freaked when you see a huge blue man coming toward you.....:)

Argyria

29th April 2009, 22:28

You guys need to do your research into nanosilver. There is virtually no risk of argyria with it. But make sure you are purchasing true nanosilver.

For the record, I have seen someone with argyria once in Colorado. The real kicker to it was the guy was about 6' 6" or better. Makes you feel kinda freaked when you see a huge blue man coming toward you.....:)

Used topically, there is no risk. Handling your silver will not cause this to happen. Ingestion of significant quantities of silver metal, on the other hand, is one of the common causes of argyria. Nanosilver is silver metal. Consumption of small amounts is harmless, and use on wounds is safe, but it does accumulate and consuming significant amounts over time will tend to result in argyria.